Flood can happen anytime of the year and cause a lot of destruction to homes and businesses in the Kootenay Boundary. Whether it’s a simple drop that is likely to fall all day, a flood or a disastrous plumbing issue this is almost always an overwhelming situation. The best thing that one can do to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible is to ensure that one has the basics of emergency water damage restoration on the forefront of one’s mind. In this guide right here, let’s discuss the three big modules of water damage restoration in Kootenay Boundary and how to lessen the effects and bounce back as soon as possible. Why Water Damage Restoration? Water damage restoration has to be done because sometimes, structures may be damaged by water and water on the other hand is the culprit that caused the structure to be damaged. Where there is water damage there… Read More

Floods can cause a lot of harm to your premises in terms of fungus formation and structural weakness, among other damaging impacts. It is important to carry out thorough repair work when addressing water damage, as the climate in the Okanagan Valley can worsen the situation. Companies like Hydraclean assist you in meeting all these challenges promptly and offer the best water damage restoration Okanagan Valley has to offer. This restoration is necessary, especially in Okanagan Valley, as the unique climate conditions can exacerbate the damage. Such companies, like Hydraclean, help you handle all of these challenges quickly and effectively by providing comprehensive water damage restoration services. Now, let’s look at the main process of drying the building after water damage and why you may need a professional.” Understanding Water Damage Restoration Water damage restoration means the process of removing and cleaning of a property that has been affected by water, either by leakage or… Read More

What to do after a Wildfire Health, safety and indoor air quality need to be considered before entering an interface Fire Zone. Check with local authorities to determine whether it is in fact safe to enter your property. When entering your property, it is recommended that you wear personal protective equipment such as respirators like N95 masks or a 1/2 face respirator with P100 filters with carbon component to protect your lungs. It is also recommended that you wear protective footwear while walking around your property. Protective footwear designed to protect your feet from impact, compression, and puncture as well as other types of injury. It is quite common for sharps and or other hazards to be present in fire zones. The devastating effects of interface wildfires can be corrected by following and being aware of these important steps. Indoor air quality can be vastly improved by installing industrial sized air scrubbing filtration equipment with… Read More

What is Environmental containment? Likely the most important roll a true restoration contractor should be the ability of controlling contaminates while executing remediation, restoration and decontamination procedures. Otherwise why wouldn’t you just hire a guy with a tool belt in a pick up truck? Well, here’s why, because contaminates and hazardous materials like mould and asbestos exist in many buildings and by the nature of deconstruction/ demolition, renovations and/or mitigation procedure like water and fire damage restoration, these contaminates will certainly be disturbed. A responsible Restoration Contractor needs to preserve and protect indoor air quality both at the time of a loss like water or fire damage etc. And during deconstruction and reconstruction especially when buildings are occupied and furnished. These procedures are imperative to protect the health and safety of the buildings current and future occupants as well as the safety of the workers. Hazardous contaminates can be harmful to people and pets but… Read More

The following is a check list to get your home ready for colder/sub-zero outdoor temperatures exterior hose bibs – do not leave exterior hose bibs remaining charged with water and not drained. Most modern hose bibs are a “frost-free” design which allows water to drain out the section of the hose bib that is not in heated space. From the outside when you are turning off the faucet the actual valve stop is about six inches inside the wall cavity in the heated space. This designed intention is so that the supply line and hose-bib sections that remain charged with water are in heated space, subsequently allowing the section of hose-bib that is not in heated space to drain out eliminating the possibility of freezing. However, improper use of these types up hose-bibs are responsible for many springtime water-escapes. The most common reason for this is that the garden hose is left on over the… Read More

Mould contamination (or contamination from the kingdom of fungi) is easily spreadable throughout indoor environments…when unqualified deconstruction methods are used, and especially when moulds, mildew and fungi are disturbed during deconstruction/tear out procedures, and the environment is not controlled as is commonly the case, the potential for cross contamination is always 100% guaranteed to spread contaminates beyond the affected area(s). The kingdom of fungi exists naturally in our environment, and we need it as much as we need the plant kingdom and the animal kingdom. Its simply biological equilibrium. The natural roll of fungi is to break down protein matter and cellulose matter for decomposition. However, when a genus of the kingdom of fungi un-naturally takes up residence inside an occupied building the biological production of reproductive spores and volatile organic compounds can overwhelm and critically affect the indoor air quality which has been proven to affect human occupants’ health. Some geneses of the kingdom… Read More

So you think you can call a carpet cleaner and the odor and urine stains will be gone…? Nope… in fact cleaning your carpets will make the problem worse…have you tried this before? Understanding what your up against is the key to knowing how to over come this difficult problem. Let us start with the basic description of the problem. When your pet; dog, cat, bunny ferret or unruly room mate urinates in your home, especially on carpet or flooring, the urine load dries (fries) into a form of salt (salvine)… if you simply try to steam-clean or hot water extract, you will simply load the descant like urine salts with moisture that will evaporate and off gas organic vapours filling your indoor environment with the unpleasant odor of pee (urine)…. In fact, doing so will magnify the problem. The reason is because salts (urine salts) from urine contamination are hydrophilic (water attractive) certain indoor… Read More

Although Mother Nature is uncontrollable and always in charge, there are things we can do to prepare for high water and flooding threats like heavy rains, forecasted weather systems and heavy snowpacks. Keeping abreast of the professionally managed environment forecasting facts that are shared publicly is our best defence when preparing for inevitable threats to our property because of high-water tables. The first thing we need to do is pay attention to the local environmental and weather forecasting so we can be prepared for high water, spring run off, and abnormal weather events. Typically federal, and municipal forecasts will alert us in advance of aggressive weather systems like abnormal rainfall and unusually high snow-packs. Assessing your proximity to bodies water that are close to your property are critical to planning and executing flood control plans. Ask yourself, are you close enough for swelling rivers and streams to spill over and find their way to your… Read More

Is your property affected buy a dewatering system like a sump pump and well? If so, it is important to check the system for proper operation prior to rising water tables. A typical system consists of a drainage drywell (drain-rock) surrounding a well case with a pump mounted in the well case activated by a float switch. When well fills with water to a pre-set height the float switch is activated turning on the pump which then pumps the water out of the well through plumbing lines to be safely discharged away from the protected structure. To check the system for proper operation. Make sure the pump is plugged in to a proper GFI receptacle. Test that the power receptacle is supplying power by using a test light or an extension cord that is equipped with a power indicator light. Lift the float switch slowly until the pump is activated. Then let it back down… Read More

It is common for irrigation systems even after fall time blow-out for there to be leaks and breakage do too freezing, ground erosion, soil movement and incomplete water evacuation. In most cases broken irrigation lines cause flooding inside a living space because of hydraulic pressure exerted against a building foundation wall or basement floor slab. The best way to avoid water damage and building water intrusions as a result of irrigation systems is too charged lines and closely monitor them at the same time. Broken waterlines in an irrigation system are easily identified at the time in which the system is reinstated in the spring simply buy inspecting all water distribution sprinkler heads and spray nozzles when irrigation systems are charged and running. failure to do identify leaks can cause ground saturation which can result in water pooling and water tables becoming saturated. This saturation can cause hydraulic pressures resulting in water penetrating buildings foundations,… Read More